Listeria Outbreak Prompts Ice Cream Recall as Household Sues Over Miscarriage

Huge Olaf Creamery is pulling its ice cream from cabinets because it faces a second lawsuit after a married couple from Massachusetts alleged {that a} listeria contamination on the Florida-based firm brought on a miscarriage.

The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced Wednesday that Huge Olaf is recalling all flavors of its merchandise over considerations they have been tainted by the possibly harmful micro organism. The brand new give attention to the creamery, which has insisted there is no proof linking it to the unfold, is the most recent as public well being officers seek for the supply of the listeria outbreak.

The Massachusetts couple sued Huge Olaf final week, alleging the contaminated ice cream brought on a miscarriage after the household ate the creamery’s merchandise throughout a Could go to to Clearwater, Florida, for a marriage.

Introduced by Kristen Hopkins and Frank Imbruglia in Pinellas County courtroom, the lawsuit states the couple had introduced the being pregnant to their household on the marriage ceremony. On the time, Hopkins was 11 weeks pregnant. After returning house, the couple, who’ve two daughters, discovered their child was wholesome and the boy they’d hoped for, in accordance with the lawsuit.

However Hopkins on Could 31 developed gentle cramping, coupled with persistent diarrhea, in accordance with the lawsuit.

“Over the next days, the diarrhea didn’t enhance and her abdomen ache intensified,” reads the lawsuit. “By June 11, 2022, she began experiencing intense headache. The subsequent day, she awoke pale, shivering and fatigued. Her husband drove her to the closest hospital.”

The couple have been advised on the hospital that their child was useless, the lawsuit states. A blood tradition taken from Hopkins was optimistic for the listeria monocytogenes and matched with the pressure related to the present outbreak, the lawsuit states. The couple are searching for an unspecified quantity that exceeds $30,000.

Regardless of the lawsuit, Huge Olaf is at present solely “a possible supply of sickness,” the FDA mentioned in its assertion, citing epidemiological data from the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) and Florida officers.

“For now, it’s only hypothesis as it’s an ongoing investigation, our model has not been confirmed to be linked to those circumstances, I’m not certain why solely Huge Olaf is being talked about and focused,” the creamery mentioned in a July 3 Fb submit.

Stating that “the well being and nicely being of the general public is our first precedence,” the corporate mentioned within the submit that it has cooperated with the FDA in addition to Florida public well being officers.

Based mostly in Sarasota, Huge Olaf’s merchandise are bought in Florida retailers and served in eating places and senior houses, along with one other location in Fredericksburg, Ohio, in accordance with the FDA. The recall covers all flavors of its ice cream, which is available in containers from pints to 2 1/2-gallon tubs, with expiration dates via June 30 of this 12 months.

A separate lawsuit was filed final week in federal courtroom by Richelle Brown, husband of California resident Mary Billman. The lawsuit alleges Billman was sickened and later died in January after consuming listeria-contaminated ice cream from Huge Olaf on a visit to Florida.

In line with the latest replace from the CDC, a complete of 23 folks in 10 states have been contaminated with the pressure of listeria monocytogenes related to the present outbreak.

Public well being authorities reported final month {that a} majority of the circumstances from the outbreak, which started January 24, 2021, had ties to Florida.

Newsweek has reached out to Huge Olaf for remark.